Electric receptacle accessory for locating prong receiving aperatures



N T N E V m Aug. 25, 1953 ATTORN E! 61 Patented Aug. 25, 1953 ELECTRIC RECEPTA LOCATIN G PRONG R CLE ACCESSORY FOR ECEIVIN G APERTURES Charles W. Abbott, Larchmont, N. Y., assignor to Abbott Developments, Inc., New Haven, Conn, a corporation of Connecticut Application December 29, 1950, Serial No. 203,497

1 Claim. 1 This application relates to an accessory for attachment to receptacles, of the kind commonly provided in room walls, having apertures to receive the prongs of an electric connection plug, to

indicate and locate the prong receiving apertures of the socket.

It i an object of this invention to provide simple, practical and effective means for locating the prong-receiving apertures of such sockets.

It has heretofore been suggested to provide grooves in keyhole platesand fill them with luminous paint to indicate the position of a keyhole. It has also been suggested to apply paint to glass to indicate a wall switch. Such means are not practical for wall receptacle which are usually made of material to which paint does not readily adhere and is easily scraped off. Furthermore such receptacles are often provided in colors chosen to match or contrast with the color of room walls, draperies or other furnishings and it is desirable to maintain the original color and appearance of the receptacle.

Accordingly it is an object of the invention to provide durable means physically separate from the receptacle for locating the receptacle apertures without materially aifecting the appearance of the receptacle.

Other object of the invention will be in part obvious or in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, arrangements of parts, and in the several steps and relation and order of each of said steps to one or more of the others thereof, all as will be pointed out in the following description, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claim.

The invention will best be understood if the following description is read in connection with the drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a single type wall receptacle hub;

Figure 2 is a front elevation of an accessory to be superimposed over the face of the wall receptacle shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a front elevation of wall receptacle;

Figure 4 is a front elevation of an accessory to be superimposed over the face or the wall receptacle shown in Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a vertical cross section showing the member 29 superimposed upon receptacle l n, Figure 1, said section being taken through the superimposed apertures 30; and

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the reverse side of the member shown in Figure 2.

a double type of In accordance with my invention I take a thin sheet of cellulose acetate, methyl methacrylate or other transparent material, preferably of a thickness on the order of ,4, of an inch, and cut from it a piece corresponding to the face of the receptacle hubs. In this piece I provide, either before or after the cutting operation, apertures positioned to register with the prong-receiving apertures of the receptacle when the said piece is positioned over the face of the receptacle. On the back of the said piece, around each of said apertures, I provide an endless line of luminous paint. I then secure said piece to the face of the socket with the illumined apertures of said piece in registry with the apertures in the socket. This may be accomplished in various ways, as by fitting the piece within a concavity provided in the face of the socket, or by screws, but I prefer to use a pressure sensitive adhesive applied to the back of the piece.

The piece is so thin it does not interfere with the prongs of a plug being duly inserted in the receptacle with electrical efiiciency, and being transparent the appearance and color of the receptacle is not materially changed.

In Figure 1 I have shown a single wall receptacle l0 having the prong receiving apertures l2 and I4, and the peripheral margin l5, and in Figure 3 I have shown a double wall receptacle comprisin member IS, with the peripheral margin l7, and having prong receiving apertures l8 and 20; member 22, with the peripheral margin 23 and having prong receiving apertures 24 and 26, and the intermediate or bridging portion 28.

In Figure 2 I have shown my accessory as a transparent member 29, corresponding in shape and size with the outer periphery of receptacle l0, shown in Figure 1, and with the apertures or slots 30 and 32. On the rear face of member 29, around its peripheral margin, is a thin band 34 of adhesive positioned to contact margin I5 of socket l0 when superimposed over the face of the socket, preferably clear, pressure sensitive cement, and around the apertures 30 and 32, also on the back of member 29, are the thin lines 36 and 31 respectively of radium or other luminous paint.

In Figure 4 I have shown my accessory as a thin transparent member corresponding in shape and size with the outer periphery of the double receptacle member shown in Figure 3 and c mprising, portion 38, adapted to be superimposed over portion [6 of Figure 3, portion 40, adapted to be superimposed over portion 22 of Figure 3, and intermediate portion 4|, adapted to be superimposed over portion 28 of Figure 3. In portion 38 are the apertures or slots 42 and 44, and in portion 40 are the slots or apertures A6 and 48, positioned to register with apertures l8 and 2t, and 24 and 26 respectively, when the accessory shown in Figure 4 is superimposed on the face of the lines '54 and 56, and 58 and 69, of radium or other luminous paint.

My accessory has the advantages of low cost, ease of assembly with the receptacle on the face of which it is superimposed, transparency,

whereby its presence does not change the color.

or appearance of the receptacle to which it is applied except. to outline or frame the prong receiving slots in the dark or in semi-darkness, and durability, being not, readily fractured by inadvertent blows, as from furniture, or by being struck by the prongs of a plug being inserted in the socket. It may also be readily removed :or reinstallation on another receptacle or in any new occupancy if desired. By closely framing the prong receiving apertures it indicates the exact position of the apertures and provides an accurate visual guide for inserting a plug in the socket, thereby facilitating speedy and accurate insertion of the plug in the socket.

It will thus be seen that there has been provided by this invention an article in which the various objects hereinahove set forth together With many thoroughly practical advantages are successfully achieved. As various possible embodiments might be made of the mechanical features of the above invention and as the art herein described might be varied in various parts, all Without departing from the scope of the invention, it is to be understood that all matter hereinbefore set forth or shown in the accompanying drawing is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

hat .I cl m is:

.An accessory for attachment to an electrical receptacle having slotted openings to receive the connecting blades of plug caps for tapping from an electrical circuit which comprises, a piece of transparent material conforming in shape to a hub of said receptacle and having slots to register with the slotted openings respectively of said receptacle and accurately guide the respective blades of a plug cap into the said slotted openings in the receptacle, said piece of transparent material having lines of luminous paint visible in the dark defining the margin of its said slots, and having adhesive on its reverse face for securing said piece to a receptacle hub With its said slots in alignment with the said slotted openings of the hub.

CHARLES W. ABBOTT.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STAT S PATENTS Number Name Date 600,969 Newman i Mar. 22, 1898 1,917,638 Dieckmann July 11, 1933 2,032,540 Hodny i Mar. 3, 1936 2,198,935 Dermont g, Apr. 30, 1940 

